Food

Buy Local Products - Buy locally and reduce the amount of energy required to drive your products to your store.

Buy Organic Food - The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.  You can eat organic while on campus because SU's food vendor Bon Appetit buys organic and regional produce whenever possible.  Read the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce.

Buy from Local Farmers - When you shop at a farmers market, local family farmers receive more than 80% of your "food dollar," rather than 9% through a retail market.  Typically, 9 cents of our food dollar goes to the farmer, while 91 cents goes to suppliers, processors, middlemen and marketers. Another way to buy from local farmers is to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that will deliver produce to your door. CSA's include New Roots Organics, Pike Place Market, Pioneer Organics and Tiny's Organics.

Eat Less Meat - It takes 600 gallons of water to make one quarter-pound burger.  The water is used to feed the cows, grow the grain and grind up the meat. The environmental impacts of livestock are global warming from methane and water pollution. Cutting beef out of your diet will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,000 pounds per year. Becoming a vegetarian will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,000 pounds of a year.  Learn more about environmental vegetarianism.   Read the comparison chart of the protein content in animal and plant foods and how to get enough protein. 

Eat Less Processed Foods - Processed food uses up more energy in production than fresh foods and meals you prepare yourself. The average pre-made meal includes ingredients from at least five different countries. Examples of processed food: frozen or canned fruit and vegetables, bottled drinks, chips and crackers, white rice, pasta and white bread, cold cereal, french fries. Examples of minimally and unprocessed food: fresh fruit and vegetables; water filtered at the tap, nuts and seeds; brown rice, whole grain pasta and bread, oatmeal, baked potato.